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Naismith happy with draw

The spoils were shared in the crunch Euro 2016 Qualifier in Dublin after John O’Shea’s own goal cancelled out Jonathan Walters’ 38th-minute opener.

For Scotland it means they are still in contention to qualify automatically from Group D, while Ireland need a strong finish in their remaining four matches.

“It was a disappointing performance but we are happy with the point,” Naismith told Sky Sports. “The game was built up so much that it probably didn’t show the potential ability on the park but we have a good point on the back of a very good run of games.

“We weren’t happy with the way we retained the ball but we showed our guts and got over the line with a point which we have to be pleased with away from home.”

The result certainly appears to favour Scotland, who equalised inside the opening two minutes of the second half when Shaun Maloney’s shot deflected off O’Shea and into the net.

“At half-time we tweaked the tactics, got in their face a bit more, didn’t give them as much time on the ball and it paid off,” said Naismith.

Maloney agreed with his team-mate’s assessment of the game, saying: “Our possession wasn’t great in the first half, we allowed them too much easy possession at the back, but (in the second half) we pressed them higher up the back and were better in possession so it made a big difference.

“The draw is a good point, we could have played better first half but we move on to the next time in September and another two good games.”